In any state that Trump had a chance of winning, he campaigned
hard and often. Clinton, despite decades of political experience,
didn't step foot in Wisconsin, a state she lost in a shock to
Trump.

For some reason, talking heads on TV insisted that Trump did not
have the "ground game" to defeat Clinton, despite
the massive rallies around the country, and the same "ground
game" criticisms falling flat when he defeated his rivals in the
GOP primary.

Not only did Trump work harder than Clinton, but he worked
smarter.

So many of Trump and his surrogates' talking points functioned as
dog whistles for the media. His treatment of women and minorities
in his speeches, policies, and personal life inflamed the media
and earned him a reported $2 billion in free media
coverage.

In fact, the media could not turn away from Trump, whom they
slammed as a clown, a pervert, a novice, or even a buffoon. The
24-hour news cycle became a 24-hour conversation about Trump.

But on Tuesday night, the American people showed the media, the
punditry, the intellectual elite of the world that they don't
share their values. They have their own priorities that have
baffled and surprised observers.

Trump's actions on the campaign trail have often clashed with
Democratic ideals. He attacked the press and proposed actions
like banning Muslims from entering the country.

But voters were willing to take the risk.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Insider.